Month: May 2017

It’s been a very long time since I last reported progress, so I felt it was time to do so again!

Since I last posted I’ve had, and been discharged from, physiotherapy, I’ve been up to Edinburgh and seen my surgeon and I’ve started back to work. I’m now at 14 weeks post-op and the change in me is quite astonishing really.

I can now walk for a very long way without any problems, unless you count losing my sock and shoe in a muddy puddle. My hip/groin/leg pain has 99% gone. I still get a slight nagging right at the top of my left thigh, but nothing in comparison to the searing pain I used to get pre-surgery. I have a long and well-healing scar from my bra strap to my knickers – a reminder of where I’ve been, like a sticker you put on your car when you’ve been to Blackpool! I still have some ache at the site of surgery and I’m still a bit stiff, so doing ordinary things like getting dressed is still a contortionist’s dream. If I get down on the floor, I can’t get up unless I’m hanging onto a piece of furniture. Sadly I didn’t discover that until I was already down and then had to crawl to the nearest chair! You live and learn.

The surgeon was really pleased with my progress. He was happy for me to start doing more than walking and suggested pilates, swimming and cycling. But not running. Not yet. Until my bones have fused with the help of the rods and screws, and aren’t likely to be jarred by anything high impact, I can’t even think about running. I try not to, anyway.

These are the bits of tin holding me together!

I started phasing myself back into work at week 6 post-surgery with an hour a day for a week, then two hours daily for the next week, then four and then, finally, six hours. It meant I could gradually get used to driving and being at work again. A few weeks later I still get really tired by the end of the day, especially ones which have seen me either spend too much time in front of the computer or too much time standing with customers.

Thanks to the advice of a friend, I was put in touch with Access to Work, which is run by the UK’s DWP and is aimed at keeping self-employed people in work when they are struggling with a disability. Although I’m post surgery, my recovery will take a year and having some guidance about how I should be sitting, lifting, standing etc. is really important. Last week I was visited by an assessor and I’m waiting on the results of his report. I only wish I’d known about Access to Work before my op.

The biggest change has been in how I am feeling. I no longer hurt, so I look better. There is no pain etched on my face, where it used to be. We went for a weekend away recently and I could again go out for walks and appreciate the countryside from the pathways, instead of the car or the mobility scooter. I can even walk to the pub! And, because I’m mobile, I’m starting to lose weight.

It’s these small things, ordinary things, that are now so precious to me. Being able to walk hand in hand with my husband, being able to walk the dog, being about to do the shopping – these things were either an effort or impossible before.